Chime in the Night
by Polar Bear 084
Summary: The Doctor, Amy and Rory must rescue a man from a powerful enemy that has come from over the horizon of the Universe. But the unseen threat soon plays upon their minds, leaving it down to Amy and Rory to follow the clues that The Doctor left behind.  First in the Horizon Series
1. Pond Grass

**Chime in the Night**

Chapter One: Pond Grass

It was quite a day. There was a high sun in the sky, bathing everything in a strong yellow heat and there was a slight wind in the air that gently caressed the long stalks that erupted through the ground and stretched up to the heavens. You wouldn't think anything out of place.

But then, suddenly this wind picked up. No longer caressing, it forced the stalks back, snapping some and whiping others. Not only the force increased, its presence did too, bringing with it a howling and screeching that no wind should ever have. The noise grew in pitch and ferocity, and a shape could be seen to emerge if you didn't have to shield your eyes from the wind's new-found strength.

A few seconds later and the wind returned to its tranquil state, but the field was no longer host only to stalks, both broken and whipped. Right in the middle, stood a great, blue police box. There was silence for a moment and then the doors of this box were flung open, creaking on ancient hinges and out emerged a man.

He was like nothing you would have expected to see, even after seeing an old blue police box emerge from out of sudden gale force winds. He had a long and wise face, with a childlike enthusiasm that lit up his ancient eyes. He wore a tweed jacket, patched at the elbows and long black trousers with red braces that stretched over a white shirt. His feet were clad in brown leather shoes, his black hair crashed over his forehead like a great wave and, oh yes, around his neck there was a neat, red bowtie.

_Hey bowtie's are cool! And I hope you're making this interesting this time, you scholarly types always seem to miss out the good bits!_

I am trying Doctor, but surely you remember that last time, for most of the 'good bits', I wasn't entirely myself. A certain screwdriver malfunction, combined with a Shilhop, planet-wide malady-

_Shiltop_

_-And_ my favourite hat; meant that my mind wasn't exactly on the current situation.

_Or anywhere nearby for that matter. Yes sorry about that, won't happen again. I'll let you carry on..._

Please do. Honestly... sometimes I wish we didn't have to do this by psychic interface, but it is the best way to I suppose-

_Especially since you weren't actually there for this one-_

...

_Sorry._

As I was saying, this man stepped from his old blue box enthusiastically, but then seemed to change his mind and go back inside, only to emerge again with a pair of 80's thin rimmed, red tinted glasses resting proudly upon his nose. He walked into the field, his eyes devouring his surroundings as, impossibly, two more people stepped from the small blue box.

One was a young woman, with long red hair, pale white skin and a weary expression, the other a young man, with short brown hair, marginally darker skin and an also weary expression as though they were parents, caring for their troublesome child. The woman looked disapproving at The Doctor's back, striding forwards to investigate what he was finding so vividly interesting. "Doctor where on Earth are we this time?" The Doctor looked up to answer but didn't get there fast enough. "And _what_ are you wearing on your head?"

He pointed an accusing finger at her before replying "These were _Ringo Star's! _He leant them to me, sort-of, meaning sunglasses are cool. And I think you mean _off_ Earth Mrs Pond!" He span around, his arms sweeping at the scenery. "These are the fields of Huran Val, famous for the delicious Pond grass." That wiped the weariness completely from Amy Pond's face.

"Really? _Pond_ grass?"The Doctor nodded, indicating the stalks shooting up around them.

"Pond grass! The most favourably flavourable natural food this side of the Galaxy!" The Doctor tore the top of one of the nearest stalks in half, throwing a bit to Amy, before throwing his half into his mouth. His grin quickly disappeared as he chewed, quickly becoming replaced by a remorseful grimace as he swallowed. Amy did the same. "Argh!" he cried, the disgust ringing through his voice, "I told them! I told them to use natural fertilizers but oh no, we can make artificial and create it to do whatever we like! Ridiculous!"

The man, Rory Pond, had at this point reached the top of the field, and now stood waiting for them, scratching his head worriedly. "Doctor?" The Doctor started to walk towards him, his rant still continuing.

"I mean seriously is it that hard to change a lifetime of beliefs just because someone else told you to?"

"Doctor!"

"I even went to the lengths of showing them how to harvest and form it! Well there was a little sonicing involved but what's the point in life is you can't do a little... sonicing." The Doctor finally rested his eyes upon what Rory was trying to show him. Amy also stood beside her husband, her eyes fixed on the object distant in the background.

It was a house. A grand old manor house of discreet proprotions, it looked as though it had stood there for hundreds of years, and time hadn't been friendly. Its windows had been broken and then boarded and broken again, the grasses around it climbing as though to reclaim the structure into the Earth. It also had a crushing ivy that wound its way around the brickwork and through any cracks that was now so strong it was a part of the building itself.

The Doctor stood in a silent awe before finally regaining himself. "That is _odd_. What is such a beautiful house doing on Huran Val?" He looked around for any clues, people to ask, left over building materials; but instead he found a blue rectangle shrouded in a hedge nearby, still exposed enough to show the bold white letters stamped into its metal surface. _Welcome to Cornwall._ "Ah. Well that explains the Pond grass."

Amy and Rory looked disbelieveingly at him, but it was Amy who regained the ability to respond first. "So we're in _Cornwall_?" The Doctor nodded, grinning widely.

"It would appear so." He checked the thin, gold watch on his wrist. "Yep. Cornwall, England, 2011." He grinned at them, unfazed by their looks of bewilderment, but then his grin faded, slowly and surely as if something upsetting had just dawned on him. Amy looked as though she was threatening to talk again so the Doctor hished her with a finger, his eyes focusing on the ground as he thought. "Being so preocuppied with the setting I think you're missing something here."

Rory stepped beside his wife to get a clear view of The Doctor. "Missing? Missing what?"

The Doctor looked at them both standing there. "The small thing, but the big thing too."

"The small-big thing?" The Doctor looked fervent, the way he always does when he's on to something, eyes bright with knowledge, expression concerned that they hadn't figured it out yet.

_I don't really get like that do I?_

Yeah, you do a bit. Actually quite often. But anyway, he responded "yes the small-big thing," before drawing in closer and lowering his voice. "That building is almost certainly deserted right?" They both nodded slowly. "In that case, why can I hear crying?"

Rory and Amy looked questioningly at each other, but by the time they had looked back at The Doctor he had gone, sprinting off towards the manor house, his jacket whiping behind him in his progress. With a roll of her eyes that clearly said "o_nly The Doctor could find something like this in Cornwall, _Amy raced after him, Rory following closely behind.

Doctor? Before I end this chapter... how did you know what Amy was thinking? You weren't there to see it were you?

_Oh I went through everything that happened with them afterwards, using this same method actually. I wanted to be absolutely sure that I had done the right thing. I don't normally get that feeling... I didn't like it. I wished I never had to feel it again. If only I were so lucky..._

Yeah. If only.


	2. A Painful Introduction

**A/N: A big thank you to AngelsOnTheMoon98 for reviewing the last chapter and to all those that read it too! Hope this lives up to your expectations.**

**Chime in the Night**

Chapter Two: A Painful Introduction

The Doctor arrived at the front door in a flurry of hair and sunglasses, skidding to a stop in front of the faded red wood, gently resting his hand upon it and pushing it open, allowing it to swing on creaking hinges. Barely a second later Amy and Rory caught up and waited behind, watching as he stepped tentatively through the slight gap in the door, his screwdriver at ready.

For a second, his vision was attacked by the ferocious darkness that lingered inside, festering in the corners, and when his eyes adjusted he saw long hallway that lead almost completely through the house. Leading off the barewood floor were three also faded red doors on his right and a peeling cream door at the end, with a distorted glass window and a staircase set along the left wall.

"Hello?" the Doctor called causously, creeping through the doorway. Amy stepped after him.

"Doctor!" He didn't stop his slow progress into the abandonded house, his eyes fixed on where he knew the sobs were sounding from. A shady shilouette blurred behind the distorted glass.

"That's it," The Doctor whispered, his hands held up in the age old sign of surrender as he tiptoed forwards. "You don't have to be afraid of us. We're good guys."

The shilouette twisted the wooden door knob, pushing its way slowly into the hall. Whoever it was, they stood back against the grotty wall, as though afraid to come any further, pushing the door to behind them.

"Who are you?" the shadow murmered, its voice thick and rough.

The Doctor, still slowly moving forwards, gestured to himself, Amy and Rory. "I'm the Doctor, this is Amy," Amy waved, an encouraging smile on her face, "and Rory." Rory raised his hand in a half-wave. "You don't need to be afraid of us," The Doctor continued, his voice soft and gentle. "Tell me what happened."

Amy stopped waving and hissed, "Doctor! Glasses!" The Doctor paused for a moment, before dragging the thin wire away from his face and slipping them into the inside pocket of his jacket.

"Can you really help?" The voice whispered, shaky and strained as The Doctor was now so close to him. "Are you really a doctor?"

"Yes" he replied, now right infront of the man. He was in his late twenties, slightly muscular with all over the place, short brown hair. He was wearing scrappy shorts, a crumpled once white vest and an open checkered t-shirt over that and it was obvious that he hadn't washed for weeks. Neither himself or his clothes.

But before The Doctor could ask him what was wrong, the man broke, collapsing to the floor and yet still attempting to open the door next to him. The Doctor pulled it open and charged into what he soon saw as a kitchen, with a beautiful darkwood table that stood in the middle of it, and a cheap microwave and fridge on one side, along with a stretch of also beautifully made cabinets and a stove, sink and yet more cabinets on the other side of the kitchen. It was like stepping into an entirely different house.

But none of that was what caught The Doctor's attention. What _really_ caught his attention was the woman, also in her twenties who was lying deathly still on the white and black checkered floor, with her hands resting gracefully on her chest. Her hair flowed black beneath her back, her skin was pale, frosty almost, and her legs are covered in a white bed sheet that had been folded back.

The Doctor strode over to her, ignoring Amy's gasp as she turned away from the scene to comfort the shaking figure, and ran his sonic over her body, Rory appearing beside him to check her pulse.

"Who is she?" They heard Amy whipser, but the man couldn't answer. That was when she noticed the golden band on his third finger. "Oh no."

After a quick glance at the handle of the screwdriver, The Doctor and Rory exchanged disheartened looks. Rory shook his head, pulling the sheet over to completely cover the woman's frame.

"There's no pulse," he announced, not looking away from where the woman's face lay hidden by the thin cloth. "I'm sorry." Behind him the man nodded, as though he'd already known it, and then completely collapsed into Amy's arms, who gently pats him on the back, looking at The Doctor for help.

He helped the man onto his feet and into one of the two chairs that sat under the table, also intricately carved and varnished darkly. The Doctor began to pace back and forth through the kitchen, Amy standing behind the man and Rory taking up the other seat on the table, casting glances between Amy, the pacing Doctor and the broken man before him.

"Well it's obvious that you didn't kill her" The Doctor muttered, turning back on himself, "not a single mark or scratch, as a matter of fact not a single cause at all. Nothing." He stopped talking as he flipped the sonic back out of his pocket. "Not even you are telling me how she died..."

At this the man collapsed into his hands in a fresh wave of tears, Amy awkwardly patting him on the back. "There you go," she whispered, "that's it. Let it out."

The Doctor wordlessly asked Rory and Amy to come talk to him in the corner, and they quickly gathered around him, huddling close. Rory looked back at the man still weeping, silently now, on the table. "Poor guy," he muttered, his face painful. "I know what that feels like."

Amy winced slightly at the memory, talking quickly to The Doctor. "What should we do?" He stood silently, looking at the two of them, his face grave. When he spoke his voice was low, but determined.

"What we are going to do is find whoever- or whatever did this." It was a command, and he looked over at the covered body as he said it. "I'm going to check out this house, you two look after him." They nodded slowly, watching as The Doctor ducked out of the door and then right back in. "Oh and make him some tea or something" he muttered, casting a last look at him. "It always helps me."

And with that, he left the room.

Doctor?

_Hm?_

You're being unnaturally quiet...

_No I'm fine. Just know how you like your silence that's all._

Oh very funny. Hey please review by the way! Feedback is most appreciated.

_Really? I've never had feedback before. First time for everything I suppose. Why not?_

Oh and sorry if this is a bit slow. I'm sure it will pick up soon.

_Hey!_


	3. The James'

**A/N: A big thank you again to everyone who's following this story. I hope you like where it leads you and I'm sorry if it is a bit slow starting. Please review!**

**Chime in the Night**

Chapter Three: The James'

The Doctor shut the door behind him and whiped out his trusty screwdriver, weilding it in his right hand, resting that hand in his left, his arms outstretched infront of him. A few steps into the corridor, he flung himself into the first room. It was relatively small, and completely bare, and a quick scan told him that nothing was there.

The next room, a much larger and much fuller-

_Much fuller?_

What's wrong with that?

_Honestly. Call yourself a scholar?_

Sorry but I'm still getting used to this interface stuff. It's trickier to use than _you_ would think, being a Time Lord and everything.

_Sorry. Keep forgetting that you're human._

Ha. I'll take that compliment. But why do you want us to do this? I hadn't heard from you for three months and then all of a sudden you come to me with this proposition? Why are you doing it? And why now, almost a year after it occured?

_... I'm doing it as a warning. I'm sure it will become clear soon enough. Please, let's carry on._

Yeah. Sure. The next room, a much larger and very cluttered space, containing countless odds and ends of junk from discarded bikes to broken furniture, didn't turn up anything either, although The Doctor did linger to peek in the drawers of a mostly intact victorian dresser. "Empty," he muttered, disappointed. "Not even any werewolves."

He continued his search in the next room, (a _very_ large living room with ruined settee and armchair) but again turned up nothing. Same in the room just by the front door that he hadn't noticed earlier, a huge hall that took up the left side of the house and was in ruin, and the old servent's rooms and the gallery and the study and the master bedroom, that also looked so much better than the rest of the house. Even the cupboard under the stairs didn't yield anything, in which The Doctor only looked quickly, because he swore he heard a squeak. "I hate rats" he muttered under his breath, slamming the door shut.

Meanwhile, back in the kitchen, Rory had started on making the tea, using a stove kettle that looked like it should be in some antique showroom, not _actually_ in service. It had taken him this long to figure out how the also antique stove worked, and now set about descreetly opening the door that led to the back gardens of the house in the hope that the gas didn't smell too strong. Amy had been sitting at the table, talking carefully with the now stable man.

"Hey there. Come on... you have to keep your spirits up. " She gently patted him on the arm. "What was your name again?"

"James" he muttered, shrugging off her hand and looking down at the white sheet, gently flowing in the midday breeze. "I'm James."

"That's a nice name," Amy replied, trying, and failing, not to follow his gaze to the sheet as well. "Isn't that a nice name Rory?" She continued, throwing Rory a significant look.

Rory turned back to the stove as the battered piece of metal had finished boiling. "It is. I used to have a dog called James." Amy glared at his back, as James stands up and picked his wife up, the sheet still covering her, taking her out of the room and slowly up the stairs.

The Doctor steps quietly back into the room, Amy immediately upon him. "What did you find?" He seemed confused and worried.

"I found a trace signal upstairs, but no matter what I did I couldn't find the source. But it's definitely alien whatever it is, because it is playing hell with my screwdriver!" He pulled it from his pocket to flip it around and gaze caringly at it, gently squezzing the button a few times.

Rory, having forgotten the teas, walked over as well. "Is it what killed Laura? Are we in danger?" The Doctor looked at his precious contraption a moment longer before pocketing it and addressing Rory.

"To answer your first question I can't be sure, not unless we can find whatever is causing that signal, without a screwdriver." He hand reached instinctively for his inside pocket. "And your second... yes we most probably are." The Doctor paused for a moment, his eyes fixed on a point somewhere out of the open door. "Has no-one else noticed anything strange?"

"What you mean apart from an unexplainable death, some spooky signal and the fact that even Rory wouldn't want to live in a house the state of this one?"

"Um excuse me?" Rory asked defiantly, recieving a smile and a playful punch on the arm in the process. The two of them stopped smiling and laughing when they realized that The Doctor was still fixated on something through the door. "Doctor?"

The sound of his name seemed to bring him back from his reviere. "Sorry, spaced out. A lot on my mind, I _am_ older than I look you know." Before either of them could make sense of him, James walked back in the room. "Ah hello James, sorry I couldn't help over hear as I looked in that- cupboard" he looked out of the door, a disgruntled noise accompanying his unhappy gaze. "Horrible, furry, not furry... things."

It took a moment for him to realize that everyone was looking strangely at him, and a moment longer for him to return his gaze to James, who was now sitting at the table, staring at the weird and enigmatic man before him.

_**Enigmatic?** I've never been called that before._

Oh I do not believe that!

"Sorry. About that." The Doctor murmured, sitting at the table as well with Amy hovering behind him and Rory continuing with the tea. "But I need you to think. Has anything strange or out of the ordinary been happening recently? Anything. Strange dreams, thoughts, new... neighbours? I need to know everything."

James hesitated a moment, looking anxiously at the three of them, but then he sighed, crumpling into his hands and rubbing his eyes. "It was a few months ago that it started. The dream." He shuddered and The Doctor gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder to get him to carry on. "It's the same one every night. Death and pain and agony. After a while the thoughts started becoming real..."

"Real?" The Doctor leaned in closer, his eyes fixed on James's even though he was attempting to avoid The Doctor's gaze. "What do you mean real?"

James figeted uncomfortably in his seat. "Just... don't think I'm crazy okay?" The Doctor smiled widely.

"I'm a doctor remember?" James nodded slightly. "So tell me," he whispered, "what do you mean, real?"

"There was a voice in the dreams, talking to me, whispering in my ear," James mumbled, the words tumbling out in a blur. He took a few, deep breaths before continuing. "It whispered about hate, revenge, anger. I could feel its words, like a surge throughout my body and after awhile I started feeling it when I was awake too. It made... _I_ said some terrible things."

Amy muttered something about not blaming yourself, but The Doctor wasn't paying attention, his gaze was distant. "Bad dreams becoming concious thought," he muttered to himself leaning back in his chair and smiling greatly. "Oh Freud would have had a field day! He loved this sort of thing. Strange obsession with his mother though."

Rory leant in to place two mugs of hot tea on the table and to whisper to the ancient man, looking at him strangely as he always did when The Doctor brought some random association out of his incredibly long history. He thought he'd never understand how he could remember it all. "But is that even possible?"

The Doctor just waved his hand dissmisively before crossing his arms, thumbs hooked under his braces. "Of course it is! People have obsessions with all sorts of things."

Amy cut in, smiling widely, cradling her mug in both hands despite the summer's day occuring just outside. "I think he means the dreams becoming real?"

"Oh that!" he cried, his smile growing. "Most definitely, dreams are only just below the concious mind, Freud was more on the money that was thought at the time." He noticed his mug sitting on the table and hooked two fingers around the handle and bringing it to his lips. He immediately spat it back into the drink before standing up and pouring the rest of it down the sink, rooting through the cupboard that lined the walls. "Is there any more tea Rory? Or any _sugar_? How you can think only _one_ spoon is enough-"

Rory coughed loudly, drawing The Doctor's attention right back to James, who was cradling his cup in both hands also, but hadn't taken a drink yet. The Doctor nodded, letting the cupboard swing shut behind him.

"James?" The Doctor said quietly, squatting beside him. The man nodded at his tea, the brown liquid quickly cooling. "We will find whoever is responsible for this, trust me. But there is something that we have to do first." The Doctor let it sink in before nodding at Amy and Rory, his face grim. They knew what it meant, a long day ahead.

James stood up, his mug left, untouched, on the table, his face contorted. "What happened to her? Why did she have to..." he faltered, looking around at the two strangers and the strangest that stood around their kitchen. "We'd only been married two months!"he suddenly cried out, spinning around hopelessly. "I should have been here for her!"

Rory strode over to him, grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him back to his senses. "Come on. You have to pull yourself together! Think about her. Think about her. What was her name?"

"Laura- Laura James."

"Think about Laura. You know what you have to do for her. She deserves a... proper burial."

The Doctor smiled. "Your name is James James? Fantastic!"

"Not a good time Doctor," Amy whispered through gritted teeth. He tried to regain himself.

"Yes. I'll get right on it" he muttered, his voice leaving no doubt that he would. The Doctor began to stride out of the kitchen, but James raised his head.

"No!" The Doctor pinwheeled around to face him, his jacket flicking out behind him. "I'll do it. I'm a carpenter... I want to do it." The Doctor nodded silently. On the other side of the kitchen, Rory had been looking uncomfortable for a while now, and now he spoke, his voice thick and low.

"I'll help you. I know I would want help during something like this, even if I didn't want to admit it." Amy searched for Rory's eyes, and when they met she knew exactly what he meant. Their secret was becoming harder than ever to bear.

What secret?

_They knew about my 'death' at Lake Silencio._

Of course, I remember you telling me never to tell anyone.

_Of course the moment I try to step back into the shadows _you _start looking for me because of my 'mysterious' disappearence! Only you wouldn't believe the story of my death. Sometimes you humans astound me._

But didn't they know that doing this would mean you would hear that they knew?

_I pretended not to hear but I already knew anyway. Rule 1:_

The Doctor lies. After James had nodded stifly to Rory, and asked if he could actually weild an axe at which Amy chuckled, they left through the open back door, but not before The Doctor asked one final question.

"James?" He shouted after him. The gruff, muscular man looked slightly intimidating with an axe deftly held in his right hand as he came back to the door, but the moment you saw his expression and the pain in his eyes you knew he wouldn't do anything to harm you. "Did Laura mention anything about these dreams?"

James dropped his gaze to the floor, allowing Amy to watch his expression morph in the reflective tiles from neutral to one of terrifying agony. It vividly reminded her of her own, in America. "Yeah," he mumbled, looking back at The Doctor. "Yeah she had them too. Said they scared her." Again he just nodded silently and watched James as he and Rory walked away from the house, towards the great forest of trees that lay waiting in the distance, its shadows black as night beneath the canopy.

Can we stop for the night? Psychic anything is kind of wearing on the mind.

_Go on then. We'll continue tommorow. I've been meaning to reconfigure the Relcon Strip in the scanner anyway. Keeps on telling me that I've got to change my socks whenever I try to use it, but what I can't figure out is what is wrong with black and yellow striped socks! They're brilliant!_

I have _no_ idea. Goodnight Doctor.

**A/N: I hope you like it so far. I know that a lot of questions haven't been answered yet, but that is all part of Doctor Who, and I hope I'm doing it right :) I'll try to finish the next chapter as soon as I can. Thank You for reading this extremely long chapter as well! (I may have got a bit carried away... :) Oops :D )  
>P.S: Please please please review! :) I run off Reviews and I'd love to know if I'm doing it right or if there is anything that you think is out of place... Thank you :D<strong>


	4. A Doctor's Secrets

**A/N: Hello again everyone! New chapter in which certain mysterious things begin to occur. Hope you like it and thanks again to everyone whos reading this :D Enjoy! :) (P.S: One thing, one complicated thing. I've already written a lot of this as a tv script (no idea why) and now I'm in the process of translating it into prose. Unfortunately this means that it is taking me awhile, hopefully when I've finished translating what I have (and changing it accordingly) it will start to flow more naturally. Thank you for reading and I hope you like it :) (Sorry if that seemded a bit pointless... it is just difficult to translate that's all, so it may take a while... I know you wouldn't think so would you? :))**

Chime in the Night

Chapter Four: A Doctor's Secrets

After James and Rory had disappeared, axes in hand, to find a tree of some kind, The Doctor had pulled the thin rimmed glasses back out of his inside pocket, placed them happily back on his nose and begun a second search of the house, dashing out of the kitchen as fast as he could, although he did pause to give the back door another, confused look. Amy followed curiously behind.

"So don't you have _any_ idea what could have killed Laura?" she asked, slowly following behind as The Doctor stepped into the room coated with clutter, again going straight over to the victorian dresser and looking inside the drawers, poking around in the bottom drawer mostly, but still finding nothing.

"No," he said, his voice strangely optimistic. "But that just makes it all the more fun doesn't it?" He smiled, watching Amy do the same but inside, The Doctor cringed. She looked so innocent, yet so brilliantly adventurous and dangerous. Amy Pond, the girl who waited 12 years and then another 2 after that, only to have to leave now. He buisied himself with the drawers again and also a rather cool looking, if slightly tattered, top hat that lay next to it, anything to not look at her face. He knew that if he gave her the chance she'd figure him out in a second. Brilliant Pond.

He heard Amy slowly approaching him so he shut the drawer, left the top hat and turned to face her. She was looking at him, studying his face for any sign of that he was keeping something from her, which in all fairness he'd been known to do, although she found it decidedly difficult with those ridiculous things resting on his nose. Eventually she said slowly, "Are you thinking... what I think you're thinking?"

In reply The Doctor sidestepped around her and went to head up stairs saying, "Of course I'm thinking what you're thinking! I'm thinking what you are _all_ thinking and everything else besides! Someone's got to have the brains around here!" Behind him, Amy smiled despite herself. Her raggedy man, who would probably have picked up that raggedy top hat if he'd seen it. Her imaginary friend. Her Doctor.

"No!" she called after him, forcing him to stop at the doorway, "I mean are you really thinking what I'm thinking right now?" She caught up with The Doctor as he sighed and turned to face her.

"What would that be?"

"That you think we need to stay here for the night?" The Doctor's expression changed suddenly to one of outrage and incredulity.

"That is a foolish idea!" He cried, moving into the hallway. "And dangerous! Stupidly dangerous! You've already seen what could happen!" When he paused for just a moment, and saw the smiling, silent laughter that Amy had raging inside her, that glint of adventure shining in her eyes. "Yes that was exactly what I was thinking."

Amy clapped her hands together, jumping slightly on the spot. "Yes! I've always wanted to stay in a haunted house!" She grasped his arm, swinging off it lightly. "I can't wait!" She said, expecting his usual reply of enthused talking and spinning and running, but instead The Doctor's gaze was fixed on the still open front door, his hair blowing slightly in the through-breeze that blew through the corridor and out the back door.

"What's that noise?" He murmered, inclining his ear to the back door again. "It's like a tinkling... oh where have I heard that before?"His hand ran through his black hair, which flopped back into place as though it hadn't been touched and he again pulled the glasses from his nose, replacing them back in his pocket. Then, where one moment he was stock still, the next he was sprinting towards the front door, throwing himself out into the open nad spinning around on the spot. After a few silent seconds and a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders, he returned back inside to answer Amy's bewildered stare.

"What was that all about?" A laugh wove itself through her words, but it just made his face fall and she suddenly noticed his eyes. They looked - old. For what must have been only the third time that she'd seen them that way and the other two occurances, with a metal death machine and his iminent murder, weren't going to be leaving her anytime soon. His phenominal age could clearly be seen, hidden deep within those eyes and clouding his hearts.

"There was someone there, I could have sworn..." He met her gaze and almost seemed to collapse back against the door frame, removing his glasses again and squeezing the bridge of his nose between his fingers, pressing his eyes tightly shut. "Sorry," he mumbled, breathing deeply. "Sorry, I'm just" The Doctor rubbed his eyes and sighed greatly. "I'm just tired," he heaved.

Amy, who had found the fact he'd removed a second time when she hadn't even seen him put them back on, snorted, sitting on the third stair to watch him, leaning against the frame as though he was dead on his feet. "_You_ get tired?"

Her reassuring disbelief brought the smile back to The Doctor's face. "Of course I do!" he cried, staring at her as though she really ought to know that. "Just not very often." He looked out of the back door again, his brow furrowing and then span out of the door and back outside. Amy stood and ran to catch him up again. It's what she always seemed to be doing, no matter where they were, whether it was a house in Cornwall or Hitler's study in Berlin, she could never keep up with him.

"Hey where are you going?" The Doctor was waiting just outside, and blocked the door before she could leave. She pouted at him.

"Wait here Pond," he muttered tapping her on the nose, suddenly completely back to his usual self, "I have to go check something." She nodded, laughing.

"Just don't take two years this time." He grinned foolishly and span off again, running back in the direction of the TARDIS, the key already in his hand.

By this time, out of the back door and down through the expansive fields, Rory and James had finally reached the forest edge. The moment the trees had come into view James had started pointing silently at them, looking at each and every one in turn, while Rory had collapsed against the nearest tree, his breaths coming hard and fast. Eventually James realized that Rory was no longer following and leant against the hard, dark trunk of a rather young oak, looking curiously at the panting man.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked, after allowing him to regain enough breath for speech. "You don't even know me... why do you care so much?" The man looked at him silently for a moment, still breathing heavily.

"Does it matter? You've lost someone close to you... I just thought that if it were me, I'd want someone there to help me." He was reminded vividly of barely seven months before when Amy and their baby had been taken by Kovarian. He'd had The Doctor to help him through that, but even after all that, they'd still lost their baby, only to find they had already raised her as their friend Mels.

Yeah... with that amount of madness going on you need someone to show you the way through it all.

"Still," James mumbled, having rested his axe next to him and folded his muscular arms. "I appreciate it." Rory nodded, picking up his axe and standing back up again, James doing the same and leading the way deeper into the forest.

"So what are we doing?" Rory called, stepping and manovering around the various roots extruding from the forest floor.

"Look for an appropriate tree, that's big enough and strong enough to work with and cut it down."

"Simple enough for me," Rory replied, rolling his shoulders in the most macho way he could think of, completely missing the fact that a tree root had curled its way over his foot. He fell forwards with a cry only just managing to right himself before he crashed to the ground. James chuckled.

"Mind your step."

Rory looked around quickly, as though hoping there was no-one else near-by who saw him trip and continued walking through the trees. "So what do you do for your day job then?" he asked nonchalantly. James gestured with his axe at the forest around them.

"This _is_ my day job. Carpenter remember?" Rory cleared his throat in embarresment. "Although I would one day like to own my own store. That was our dream. I'd buy a two storey shop and we'd live on the top floor, selling on the bottom..." He swung his axe around suddenly, burying the entire blade into the thick trunk of a tree just infront of Rory, who gulped. "Too soft," he muttered to himself.

James turned back to continue trough the trees. "So what about this Doctor friend of your's? He's not exactly... I don't know I can't put my finger on it but he just isn't, normal. No offence," he added quickly. Rory cleared his throat nervously before answering.

"None taken. I completely agree with you."

"So does he work with you at the hospital then?" Rory was about to ask how James knew he was a nurse but James beat him to it. "I saw how you handled yourself with," he took a deep breath, "with Laura."

Rory started laughing, causing James to turn around to look at him questioningly. "What The Doctor? In a hospital?" He laughed a little more at the image that had popped into his head, of the TARDIS parked in an 'employees only' parking space, with the permit stuck to the window.

_Hold on._

Hm?

_What's a permit?_

You don't know what a permit is?

_No. Is it important?._

Apparently not...

"No, no, no he's just a friend. That I met on my... stag night actually." Rory trailed off, leaving James looking at him, utterly perplexed.

"O...kay. Enough about The Doctor then," he said, shrugging of the slightly awkward moment and inspecting another tree, bending the branches to check how supple it was. "How about you and Amy? What's the story there then?"

When Rory spoke he sounded slightly offended. "Um... we're married." James laughed aloud.

"I see who wears the trousers." Rory gave a silent shrug of agreement. "How long have you been married?"

Rory went to answer, but then realized that he didn't have a definite answer for that. was a year? A year and a half? "About a year," he said, thinking hard. "It's easy to lose track of the time when you're with The Doctor."

"Yeah. It seems like he'd have that effect. I prefer to be out here, to take my mind off things." James's voice trailed away.

"Simple enough for me," Rory replied, rolling his shoulders in the most macho way he could think of, completely missing the fact that a tree root had curled its way over his foot. He fell forwards with a cry only just managing to right himself before he crashed to the ground. James chuckled again.

"Mind your step."

Rory looked around quickly, as though hoping that no-on else was near-by who saw him trip and continued walking through the trees. He was about to ask james what he did for a day job, but then remembered that he already had. "Huh?" he muttered to himself. "That was weird."

"Come on Rory," James said, patting the trunk of an old, strong redwood. "I found her."

They set their axes against the crux of the tree, and set to work.

**A/N: Strange huh? I know this was just a backgrounding chapter but it has some important mentionings in it... I just hope they were subtle enough to barely notice, but obvious enough to think about :) (I know... confusing right? :)) I will try to write the next chapter (Oncoming Storm) as soon as I can, but try not to take too much from the title... I'll let you wonder why :) (Sorry... that was a little mean) Please review. Thanks again!**


	5. Oncoming Storm

**A/N: Sorry if I kept you waiting! This chapter should help explain how the writer is speaking with The Doctor more clearly. Please let me know if you like/dislike anything. I would love to know what your thoughts are on this chapter :D I could really do with some idea of how good I am at this. Thank you!**

Chime in the Night

Chapter Five: Oncoming Storm

The Doctor strode into the TARDIS and slammed the door behind him, resting his head against the wood, the softer sounds of the waltz starting to drift echoing through the TARDIS, but they did nothing to help his mood. What he'd just found confirmed exactly what he had feared. It made his hearts cascade against his chest, repeatedly hammering the truth into his head, and it was a truth that he did not want to face.

He pulled himself away from the door, starting to stride around the console, his head pounding along to the rhythm of his hearts. _Of all the things to find, why this? Why one of them!_ He kicked the console, recieving a warble from the TARDIS and another pulsing, this time in his foot. It was rather more painful. "Sorry old girl," he murmered collapsing into the cream chair by the staircase, his head in his hands. He remembered the Ponds' and James, "_or_ _James'" _The Doctor laughed to himself.

But he shook himself back to his senses. They were _all _waiting in that house, that death-trap for him. He knew he had to go back, to get them out of there, out of harm's way, but something was making him pause. Something wasn't allowing him to stand up out of the chair and spin around the console, flicking switches and pulling levers in his usual manner, and it wasn't his foot.

For the first time in a long time, since the fall of the Citadel, the time of The Moment... The Doctor was scared.

Doctor-

_Yes. Alex. I was..._

"Oh come on Doctor!" Amy muttered to herself, resting on the edge of the grotty sofa, her head snapping around at the slightest noise. "You've got a time machine yet you always manage to be late!"

She was on edge. She'd been sitting in the grotty, dank living room for hours now, and the longer she waited, the more she seemed to worry. Every noise and shape seemd worse somehow... more aggresive? No that wasn't right, but they were certainly something and she didn't like it.

She decided that he had been gone long enough and that she was going to get Rory and James back before something happened to them. Or at least that's what she thought, but really she just didn't want to sit alone in this room anymore. _Why The Doctor allowed them to go out there?_ When she reached the door, she took a deep, reassuring breath.

"Calm down," she told herself, gripping the faded red door tightly. "It's not like you to get like this... calm down. The Doctor always has a reason-" _And a secret_, she thought bitterly. Her grip immediately slackened on the door and she shook her head vigourously, trying to remove that thought from her head. _What's wrong with me? _

But as she turned around to head back to the sofa, grimacing at the scabby walls, the crusty fireplace and the window that she'd had to uncover to allow some beautiful light and fresh air, _especially _the fresh air, into the room, when she heard something behind her. Something creeping, slowly closer. She took a deep breath, readying herself and then span around to face her attacker, her fingers clenched in a tight ball and speeding it towards her attacker's face. A face covered in dirt and sweat, one that she knew.

"Woah!" Rory cried as he ducked out of the way of her swing, he knew how much _that_ could hurt. "Hey it's only me!" Amy stood in front of him fumming, her hand still raised.

"Don't _do_ that!" She looked positively frightening, her red hair blazing down behind her, eyes blazing with anger, more than he'd expected to see there. He decided a quick retreat was in order.

"Sorry! I just thought I'd check to see if you were okay!" He looked at her, concerned by her eyes. They still looked angry. "_Are_ you okay?" She smiled and her eyes softened, relieved that he was here, not that she'd tell _him_ that.

"I have been doing this longer than you you know." She grinned more at the flustered look on Rory's face sitting back down on the sofa, him soon joining her.

"Well I did survive two thousand years by myself, dressed as a Roman! Do you have _any_ idea how difficult that is?" Amy pushed him gently.

"Thank you stupid face." Rory pushed her back.

"And you Mrs. Williams." They laughed slightly, before both falling silent and looking around the rather bare and dreary room, like every other room in the house. "Why is everything in this house so broken and old? It's like a museum in here!" He chuckled at his joke.

"I'm glad you like it," James said, stepping through the door and collapsing into the armchair that stood across from the sofa, his eyes bright red again.

"Sorry about my husband James," Amy said, before ruffling Rory's hair. "He was dropped as a child." Rory rubbed the back of his head, as if the very memory hurt.

"Yeah, mostly by you and Mels." Amy giggled guiltily. Rory turned his attention back to James. "Did you-?"

"Yeah," he replied, swallowing. "Yeah I did. She looks so peaceful..." Amy didn't want him to breakdown into tears again, so she quickly changed the subject.

"Why did you choose to live here?" She asked, trying as hard as she could to keep the incredulous tone from creeping into her voice.

James sat silently for a moment, his brow furrowed, as though even he wasn't entirely sure but then his eyes lit up with sudden realization, almost too sudden. It was as if someone had just flicked a switch and he'd come from one end of the spectrum to the other, from complete bewilderment to utter understanding. "A relative of Laura's had just passed away, so we come down for the funeral. He'd left us this," he gestured around the room, "and we didn't really have a very great place where we were, so we moved in."

"Nice of him," Amy mused, taking in the mould that held one corner, the cobwebs that held another and the carpet that they thin and ragged just by the fireplace, but she knew how obviously sarcastic that had sounded. James shrugged his shoulders. "Why not fix the place up then?" she continued, attempting to keep the mood light. "I mean it could do with a lick of paint." The flicker of a grin appeared on his face, but it was gone as soon as it had arrived.

"Yeah I have been, and I'll keep doing it." Amy smiled at him. "And then I'll sell it on" he continued, Amy's smile faltering slightly. "I've no need for it now."

The Doctor, lively and mad as ever, entered the room. "Of course you sell it on" he cried, "you've no need for it it's falling apart!" James seemed to rock back in surprise, at a loss for what to say.

"Of, course." The Doctor's eyes lit up, but it didn't look right. Amy had to catch herself to stop from visibly reacting to it.

"Perfect! Then in that case can we stay for the night? We're waiting for a friend who'll be here tomorrow." James looks around to Amy and Rory, only to find one beaming smile, and one disbelieving glare.

"What?" He cried, standing up and facing The Doctor full on. "No, Doctor! We are _not _staying here! I _won't_ put Amy in danger like this. Not again!"

Amy stood up, putting her hand on Rory's shoulder, laughing. "It's fine Rory! I want to stay here!" But Rory stood defiantly, his fists clenched.

"NO Amy!" His voice suddenly rose, pushing her hand off of his shoulder. "This has gone far enough!" Amy shrank backwards, something that no-one expected to see, but it didn't stop Rory from continuing. "I can't keep seeing you in so much danger, being here has shown me that! I just made one wife's coffin, do _not _ask me to make your's!"

_...,,,,,,,,,,,,,,;;;;;;;;,.,.,.,..,.,_

DOCTOR! WHAT IS THAT? Argh!

_Alex are you alright?_

Ah... Yeah I'm fine. What was that?

_It was nothing. Just a feedback loop. Carry on._

Okay. The Doctor sat down heavily on the empty sofa, breathing heavily... Empty sofa? Doctor, what? What happened?

_Nothing._

Doctor what are you hiding from me? Whatever it is, you need to tell me. You can't leave anything out. Tell me what happened.

_Fine! When Rory confronted me, I knew he was right. I'd been telling myself that since I left to use the TARDIS. It was far too dangerous, now that I knew what was there, what lurked in that house and I knew that I had to get them out of there, and I had a plan to. Telling Amy and Rory that I need to go and find something, only to drop them off home. But when Rory shouted the truth at me, how much danger I was placing them in, it riled me._

_It rose up within me, and before I knew it I was raging at him. The process had begun, making it all the more important to get them out, but I hadn't meant to do it like this._

"THEN GO HOME!" The Doctor roared, turning on rory who didn't move. "It can't be more than 300 miles, you don't need me! Get out!" Silence.

James stood up, his hands up in peace, attempting to get inbetween the two towering men. "Maybe if we all just-"

"GO ON!" The Doctor cut over him, eyes fixed on Rory's. "Leave! You, the bumbling fool, attempting to follow your wife, through endless adventures when all you _really want_ is a quiet life, in a _quiet_ village. I should never have brought you along."Amy went to interrupt but he shot her a look, one of pure hatred and anger. Amy almost cried at it. "Either of you!"

Throughout all this, Rory had stood stock-still, his fists clenched, anger-born tears burning down his cheek. Without another word, he stormed out of the room, Amy following after him without a second glance at her raggedy man. A moment later, and The Doctor suddenly changed, his face going from pure anger to shock and disbelief.

"No." He breathed, looking around him. "No, no, no no no!" he powered out of the living room and raced out of the front door, but by then they were nowhere to be seen. He deliberated going after them, but then pulling his hair, roaring aloud and heading back inside.

_They'd gone. And they weren't coming back. It was exactly what I needed. Perfect._

Doctor. You did the right thing in the end. They were out of harm's way.

"Yeah. If you don't mind Alex, we need to stop for the day. I'm putting you in danger if we continue using the interface in this state. My mind is far more developed psychicly, far more powerful. I could kill you." He stood up, leaving the room where we'd just been watching his memories unfold.

I nodded, following him out as he closed and locked the door, sonicing it tight. I saw how much pain and distress was on his face and I suddenly realized that this man, this great and powerful man, wasn't used to facing his past. He was always running, always moving and I finally understood how hard this was for him. "I'll be in library Doctor. Let me know when you want to continue."

He didn't answer, he just swept darkly back down the corridor to the control room, fingers gripping the sonic tightly. The pain and anger he had just had to relive, amplified by his current feelings as well, stayed with me long after I'd settled in the library, the swimming pool lapping lightly at my feet.


	6. A Break From One Story

**A/N: Hello again. Just finished this chapter while waiting to go into College late (:D). I know it is a break from the main story of this piece but the Alex & Doctor is the overlaying plot that encompasses this one. (Sorry that came out all complicated, hopefully the chapter will explain it all :)) Again a big thank you to all those who are reading and following this :) And a massive thank you to AngelsOnTheMoon98 :)**

**Please review everyone! :) I'd love to know what you all think I could improve/what is already good :) Oh and I don't know if I've already said but I don't mind anonymous reviews :) I didn't think it was necessary to say that but some people have so I just thought I'd let you know :D (Sorry this was so long, I don't usually mean to take up this much of your reading space :))**

Chime in the Night

Chapter Six: A Break From One Story...

I lay back on the red carpet of the library, watching the shelves stretch upwards to impossible heights, each one crammed full of books and books and book, except for one sizeable gap that I guessed used to, long ago, belong to the TARDIS instruction manual. Disagreed with it yes, but did he _have_ to throw it in a supernova?

I smiled at the sheer randomness of that brilliant and mental man. I remembered vividly (as if I coulfd ever _forget_) the day I met the Doctor. Didn't everyone? I was just a normal 18 year old, another guy trying to save up enough money to get to University (ever since they hacked the fees up).

I was working overtime in a warehouse in Devonport, stacking away the most recent delivery of trainers, children's toys and other stuff, and it had been a long day so far. You know those days where you wish for something, _anything_, to liven it up. Then, around the corner, came a man with all over the place hair and the strangest clothes you could have imagined, red braces, a tweed jacket and a red bowtie were the most I could make out. He didn't even stop as he shouted "Run! Run, run run run!" For a moment I stared at his fastly retreating back, completely flabergasted. That was when I heard something much louder and heavier race around the corner.

I turned slowly, and saw what couldn't be anything other than a Phoenix, you know the mythical beast one. A great flaming red bird, literally _flaming_,but it was running, instead of flying, like a great ostritch and twice the size. I got my wish, that was for sure.

But the crazy, manic man was different. He'd changed since then, since he had faked his own death at Silencio lake. I remember the four, short months that I'd ended up spending on the TARDIS, apparently just after The Doctor's confrontation with the Silence (but I found that out later), and they had changed me completely. His frantic search of Melody Pond, that I may have tried (and possibly failed) to help with, left me entirely different. But in the three long months since I'd left, he'd changed a lot himself.

And then, barely two... three days ago? (it was too easy to lose track of the time in the TARDIS) he had returned. I'd been in my room, writing the last few notes of my hypothesis on The Doctor's death when I got a call from him, telling me to wipe it all clean and to go to the local park, where sure enough I found the TARDIS, sitting proud and tall in the middle of it the grass. The Doctor, of course, was enjoying the swings nearby.

I was shocked when he'd said he was glad that I'd try to find out if his death was real, that _he_, the great Doctor, just needed someone to talk too. And it was specifically about this story, the one of him, Amy and Rory (who I'd also heard a lot about), in Cornwall that he wanted to talk, asking me to scribe it for him. Luckily meeting him had resparked an interest in writing and creating, the normal world just didn't seem exciting enough after four months with The Doctor. It had been going okay, mostly, until The Doctor had to face what he'd done to Rory and Amy.

I sat up and stretched, feeling a crack running up my spine, letting me know what a preposterously long time I'd been lying there. After another stretch, and a slight kick of my legs, I headed out of the library and down past the psychic interface's room, all the way to the stairs that lead into the main control room.

Surprise, surprise I found The Doctor under the TARDIS console, sitting complacently in his chair made of hanging rope and cloth, just visible beneath the glass and tangles of wires. He was fiddling and tinkering, or "making sure we don't disappear into the center of a nova star paradox" as he liked to call it.

"Hello Doctor." He didn't look away from his tinkering, now retrieving the sonic from his shirt pocket and running it along the length of the metal strip he was holding around two connecting wires. His long overcoat was hung over the railing near me, and it reminded me how much the man had changed.

"Alex!" It was nice to hear the old tone back in his voice, one of childish intrigue that still managed to be laced with a powerful and ancient wisdom. "How was the library?"

"It was good, the pool's nice and cold and the _amount_ of books! Didn't you know that?" He laughed, and I started down the second set of steps toward him.

"She's never really forgiven me for throwing out the manual," he said, looking at the console above us. "She let's me in sometimes though, but even then I might not get the entire library. Until I fall into the swimming pool that is." He smiled greatly, laughing aloud. It still sounded strained though. Forced even.

I sat on the lowest step, resting my arms upon my knee. "I do have one question Doctor." He made a noise, telling me to continue while he stretched behind him to reach another, thicker wire. "Why did you want me to scribe the story for you?"

"Could you just grab the sonic a moment and do this bit?" he asked. I stood up, pulling it from his pocket and pointing at the wires he was holding together. But...

"Um what do I think about to get the right setting?" The Doctor laughed.

"Setting 409 so... strawberries and cream!"

I smiled, thought hard about the the taste of the treat and sure enough the sonic soon fired into life. When he'd hooked those back under the console he turned to face me, so I asked again. "Why did you come and find me Doctor? You have saved so many lives, met hundreds of people _and _you usualy prefer female company... so why did you seek me out when you needed someone to talk to?"

The Doctor, unable to stop himself, began tinkering with some more connectors as he answered. "You were about to find me anyway Alex. Your little blogging excapade almost had me exposed, I had to step in before you told everyone that I was still around."

I felt slightly down, but it was exactly what I'd thought. The Doctor sighed and looked straight at me, his hand holding on to the metal panel above him.

"And UNIT may have just been about the find out about your hypothesis too, despite my attempts to maintain it, you know, firewalls and the like." I looked at him with one eyebrow considerably higher than the other. "I needed some company," he admitted which did take me back. "The last time I was left by myself, looking for Melody, I ran into you, and you should never ignore a coincidence."

"Unless you're busy," I remembered him saying, "then always ignore a coincedence." We smiled. "But why did you want to run through this story with me? With me writing it all down?"

"Recently, I found something... I had to know what it was and the only way to do that is to run through this story, it is vital to understanding it." He noticed my confused expression and continued. "And yes I did mean it when I said it was a warning. I'm creating a psychic buffer, and everything that you write down and see will be put into it so that anyone finding what I did will be fully warned about what it is."

"So what is it, the ting you found?"

"No idea," he said proudly, standing up, smiling and leaping back up the stairs to throw on his covercoat. "Let's find out!" When he looked back down at me, hanging over the railing to see me still sitting there, running my hand over the many multi-coloured wires, I saw the familiar spark rekindle in his eyes. "Come on Alex! You are terribly slow! I don't remeber being this slow when I was your age."

I laughed aloud as I ascended to his level, walking in his wake. "I doubt you remember much from when you were _my_ age. And I was quick enough to outrun that Kreeble!"

I heard the smile in The Doctor's voice as he replied, his sonic to the door of the interface room. "Yeah but that was just a infant. They can grow up to seven times the size of that!" I leant against the wall beside him, shaking my head.

"Don't remind me." The door clicked, and he pushed the golden handle of the otherwise blank door down. He looked at me, his grin back in full on his face, his eyes yearning for adventure.

"Geronimo."

**A/N: Like I said a bit of a filler but very important overall :) Thank you for reading and I will update as soon as I can :) Normal service will be resumed ASAP :D**

**P.S: As a teaser, the next chapter will be called "What Gods Fear" :) Please Review. I would love to know your thoughts and feelings about the plot, characters etc :D (Speaking of characters, just to clarify Alex is not the same Alex from the series 6 episode "Night Terrors"... This is a different and younger Alex :D)**


	7. What Gods Fear

**A/N: Hello! Sorry if I kept you waiting on this one, but here we are :) I hope that this chapter leaves you hungry for more ;) Thanks again to everyone who's reading this and a great thank you to TheDoctorsMistress for reviewing :) I'm glad you like it :) And a massive, HUGE, thank you to AngelsOnTheMoon98 for recommending me on her story, "The day I met the Doctor", which is a fantastic story in itself I might add :) If you haven't read it yet then here is your ticket! :D It is a brilliant read and I couldn't recommend it more :) Please review, on both stories thanks :D I hope you like one and I know you'll like the other :)**

Chime in the Night

Chapter Seven: What Gods Fear

Right Doctor. Are you sure you want to do this?

_Of course I'm sure Alex. Let's carry on._

The Doctor slumped upon the now empty sofa, his breathing hard. What had he done? The two people who trusted him more than anything, who trusted him with the saftey of their _baby_, his River (but even that he hadn't been able to give), and he had just sent them running like a pair of scared dogs. They were his best friends... and he'd abandoned them.

He heard the wind gently sweep in through the still open front door, causing the nauseating tinkling that he had heard earlier, especially sickening now that he knew what it meant. He could feel the agitation, the creeping in his hearts. Not long now.

James entered the room. After The Doctor had failed to run after his friends, he had gone to make tea, to "return the favour". He placed it in The Doctor's hands and sat in the armchair, watching him causously.

This man wasn't normal. From his strange-sounding torch to his red bowtie he just was not, usual. Except for right now. Right now he was as human as the next man, that bounded through the door with a like of tweed and strange glasses. "Hey," he said, leaning forwards in the armchair, "don't worry Doctor. They'll be back."

The Doctor nodded slightly but then suddenly cried "no!" He put the tea down and stood up looking at James incredulously. There was no malice in his voice, just a small glimer of his energetic side. "No they can't come back, are you mad James? They're better off without me. Don't forget that."

James was taken aback but nodded anyway, wondering what on Earth he could have meant by that? As far as he was concerned this man had done all he could to try and help someone who he didn't even know. How many people did you find like that? He stood up and excused himself, saying that he should to get The Doctor's bed ready. The Doctor nodded and looked out of the window at the twilit sky that Amy & Rory had disappeared into. He had a fleeting feeling of what it was like to be one of his compan- friends.

Before he could lose his focus again, leaving himself vunerable, he started to search the house again, Ringo's glasses again perched proudly on his head. As he climbed the stairs he wished fervently that he didn't have to wait until the dead-of-night for his fate to arrive, but he was glad for these last few hours of control. His thoughts were still his own, his actions his own and he would use them to their greatest advantage. His last acts would be brilliant.

The Doctor hadn't stopped. He'd been searching almost every room, except two (one because of proximity, the other because it wasn't for him). He'd picked every corner, scrutinized every broken piece of furniture, anything to keep his mind whirring, his defences up. But it didn't feel right. He had no-one to bounce his ideas off, no-one to join excitedly in on the running and thinking. This was just a straight forward march towards his death, a death nothing like he thought it was going to be.

No friends, no River, no-body he knew well. Just him and a creeping, crawling inside.

He was busy with a painting in one of the old maid's rooms upstairs when James walked in. He stood watching The Doctor twisting the canvas this way and that. "Yes," he muttered to himself, absorbing the picture as he twisted it again, his arms crossing over and then back. "Yes, but what is it?"

James coughed loudly to gain The Doctor's attention. He placed the picture against the wall continuing to look at it scrutinizingly. "I've set your bed up Doctor. It's... in what I think is the drawing room when you want it." The Doctor turned around, allowing James to catch a glimpse of the canvas. It was blank.

"Thanking you James James!" he cried, clapping his hands together. "Incidently," he added his voice lower now, "who _is_ the last name from?" James seemed to fidget slightly, looking uneasily at the floor.

"It was Laura's" he eventually mumbled, squezzing his hands together infront of him. "She liked calling me her JJ." The Doctor beamed.

"And a brilliant idea it is too" he said, discreetly sonicing the paper behind him before striding towards James and clapping him on the shoulder. "I might start myself actually. Thank you JJ!" And with that he left the room, striding away down the hall. James took another quizzical look at the blank sheet that The Doctor had been inspecting before heading back downstairs, strangely finding himself smiling.

Down the hall, The Doctor had found his room, the drawing room that you could only really tell was a drawing room because of the old fashioned candle holder that had been welded to a wooden table by wax. He saw his bed, freshly made by the rather skilled JJ, if a bit rickety but he didn't look at it for long. Resting was not what he needed to be doing.

The moment he'd thought those words he felt sleep crash upon his eyes with the force of a waterfall, caressing his eyelids till they drooped, attacking his legs until they caved. Hhe was only just able to fight it back, catching himself before he fell. It was stronger than he'd thought.

The Doctor shook his head vigourously. "You are not losing now," he muttered to himself. "You have fought the Darleks and the Cybermen, you've won so many battles and saved so many lives," his voice rose, until he found himself shouting at the house, his fists clenched. "You are the only survivor and you are _not_ failing now!"

He breathed heavily for a minute, expecting, waiting for Amy to step in and tell him that he wouldn't dare, or Rory to say that he never had yet. When it never came, he sighed, shaking his head at his own arrogance. He was as likely to die as the rest of his kind, and it was only because he was the one pressing the button that he was standing here now.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, The Doctor actually contemplated falling asleep, just letting go of it all and submitting himself to his fate but a wry smile caught his jaw. Sure he was no different, no harder to kill than the rest of his kind, but he was The Doctor and that had to count for something. He stood up and went to the door, ready for one last act and he was going to face it head on. That was when he heard the first chime. Eleven more, and he wouldn't have a choice in the matter.

He raced downstairs, but too late. It was already beginning to manifest. The whole house seemed to buzz with it as the second chime rang. The Doctor found James sitting at his table, writing some form of letter. That was when the third chime rang and the house seemed to explode. The wind began to rage through the front door, forcing it and the back doors open so it could rush through. The Doctor and James both held on to the table, clothes rippling in the gale, threatening to pull them back. The fouth chime rang.

"Run JJ!" The Doctor cried over the noise, but James shook his head.

"I'm not leaving you here Doctor!" The Doctor rolled his eyes. _Why did he alwasy have to find the _noble _ones._ The fifth chime rang.

"Just go! You can't stop this James you need to leave now!" The sixth chime rang and the wind breathed harder and the heavy table itself began to move backwards through the kitchen.

"But what about you? What about Laura!"

"We'll be alright, it isn't her it's after now run!" The seventh chime rang.

"Doctor I-"

"Argh just go!" The Doctor roared, pushing James off balence so he lost his grip and had no choice other than to head out of the back door. The moment he was out the back door slammed shut, but the wind didn't let up as the eighth chime rang.

"I'm here!" The Doctor cried to no-one, pushing himself away from the table to grab hold of one of the cupboards. "I'm here of my own free will and I know what you are Epthatyle!" The ninth chime rang, deeper and stronger than the rest. "I know what you want from me," The Doctor continued, slowly moving towards the back door, towards the item that he'd been unable to miss, but what everyone else seemed to care nothing for. "I know what you want from me and you can have it," he muttered, more to himself than anything else as the tenth chime sounded, reverbrating throughout the house, shaking through the wood and glass.

"So long I've run, so far I've come," he said, his hands gripping the cupboard tightly, "I never thought it would be like this." The eleventh chime cascaded upon his ears, louder and stronger than any of the rest. The Doctor breathed heavily, his eyes closed tight. "Amy, Rory," he said quietly, wishing with all his hearts he'd had the chance to say it to them in person, but glad that they weren't here, that they were safe, "I'm sorry."

With that he wrenched open his eyes, and they gleamed as he stared right at the thing, the one thing that could do all this, the one thing that Time-Lords feared. He grinned and pushed away from the cupboards, leaping into the middle of the room and at the top of his lungs he yelled "Fishfingers and Custard!"

He never heard the twelfth chime, and he never felt the landing. The sudden absence of the wind didn't reach his attention either, nor the quiet that now fell over the house. And he certainly wasn't able to stop the second stage as something began to seep into his head, like a soft mist decending upon the Earth.

James ran away and didn't look back.

**A/N: What do you think about that? Please let me know I'd love to hear your thoughts :D Thank's for reading and I'll upload the second the next chapter is completed :) Promise :)**


	8. Just Walk Away

**A/N: Hello everyone! Sorry if I kept you waiting, College work and all that. I hope you find this chapter as good as the last and I really hope you like it enough to review. (Speaking of which, how did you find "The day I met The Doctor?" Don't forget to review! :D) Thanks again for reading and I hope you like it :)**

Chime in the Night

Chapter Eight: Just Walk Away

Amy collapsed against the wall, simply unable to go any further. Her mind wasn't working right, even after walking for hours and hours. She couldn't even run it through her head properly because everytime she did, she kept focusing on The Doctor's rage, the blazing anger as he looked, no _glared_, at her.

"Are we stopping then?" Rory still hadn't calmed down. He'd kept up a silent protest the entire way, walking as fast as he could through the grass and now along the foot path that they'd found, that wound neatly through the countryside. When Amy didn't answer he sat next to her, taking deep breaths. The tears were still running down his cheeks.

They sat like that for awhile, both resting against the mix and match stone wall until they realized just how late it was. Throughout it all neither said anything.

Rory leant his head back against the wall behind him, sighing as he looked at the worlds spiralling around miniature suns in the night sky above them. Without his say so, the doors in his mind swung open, and he remembered seeing this same sky on this same planet thousands of nights over. He remembered one rather memorable escapade, (in Africa, when the Pandorica was "won" in a poker-type game in the thirteen-hundreds) when he'd stayed under these unbelieveable stars, somehow emphasized by the fact he was in the Cradle of Life.

They'd looked unbelieveable, and The Doctor had shown them to him. To the both of them. He'd always known it was dangerous with The Doctor, why was this time so much different? Was it Laura's death? It couldn't be anything else, could it? Now that he thought about it, it had felt as though his outburst had come from somewhere deep inside him, rising up like something was pulling it out of him, picking the worst bits and throwing them forth.

"Amy?" He looked beside him and notcied that Amy was staring unseeingly into the bush in front of them. He tried again. "Amy?" She turned her head slowly and she looked stiff, her muscles tight through lack of use. "Amy I'm sorry. I didn't mean to attack The Doctor like that, but I've almost seen you die so many times, and I've died myself. I can not lose you."

Amy smiled minutely and Rory chanced putting his arm around her which she didn't pull away from. "I know that Rory," she said in a slightly sarcastic voice, which then completely changed to a sombre and melancholy tone, one that Rory had barely ever heard. "But he's The Doctor. He's my Doctor."

Rory nodded knowingly. "I know. It was difficult to just leave, after everything he's done for us." Amy shook her head, looking at Rory as though he had a hole in his.

"No not that." She looked at the stars above, managing a slight grin. It didn't last long and her lips soon became a grim slash of certainty. "That was not my Doctor. It wasn't." She stood up, and despite a cold midnight breeze, she didn't shiver. Rory stood with her and held on to her hand.

"Come on," he said, as they began down the path again, "we should probably find somewhere to stay." Amy nodded, musing slightly. She sighed, starting to swing their arms with each step. She was attempting to word something, something that she didn't say very often, and was finding it hard even now.

"Thank you." She'd said it so fast and so quietly that Rory hadn't thought he'd heard her. When he didn't reply Amy stopped and looked right into Rory's eyes. "Thank. You."

"Are you okay?" Rory asked, before suddenly becoming more worried. "Oh God you're in shock aren't you? You've cracked and now you're saying strange and weird things because-" Amy laughed, cutting over his rambling and joining his other hand with her own.

"No Rory," she giggled, the smile surviving this time. "I mean it. Thank you. I've seen entire armies flee from that man but you..." She was lost for words, which in itself was a miracle, a fact that Rory chose to keep quiet. "My boy," she said, looking back at the house, lost somewhere behind them, where her other boy was.

Rory followed her gaze. "You know we can't go back." Amy nodded resolutely.

"Of course not."

He nodded himself, looking her right in the eye. "We can not go back. God knows what he'll do."

"Yeah. God knows." Amy's eyes showed that she understood.

"We have to let him go."

"Oh yeah. We _need _to."

"We really should."

That was when James came crashing through the bushes next to then, his clothes torn and ripped by thornes, his skin suffering the same fate. "The- The- The Doctor," he panted, his hands on his knees, head to the ground. He breathed fast and heavy for a moment and then, finding his lungs, he spoke fast, pointing back the way he'd come, the short way to the house. "The Doctor is- in trouble. Needs- help, though he won't ad- mit it."

Amy glared at the panting figure. "You _left _him!"

Rory squeezed her hand tightly. "I doubt The Doctor gave him a choice." James shook his head in agreement. "We really shouldn't go back. Not after what he did."

Amy smiled, mirroring her counterpart. "Oh yeah. We should just walk away."

Their smile grew wider.

James couldn't believe it. He'd just run for half an hour to catch up to Amy and Rory, and now he had turned around and was running back, so that he could lead them back to the house as quickly as possible. He couldn't stop thinking about the strange man and the danger that he'd unwillingly left him in.

Amy and Rory were running behind and it felt good, the running gave them something else to think about. Jumping over roots and ducking under branchee, dodging round trees and clasping each other's hands, rather than dwelling on what they would find when they made it back to the house, and what they would say when they got there.

Finally the old and broken home rose up from out of the distance, and the night sky above them shone starlight upon the grass, turning the house into something mystical and enchanting, but it was unnerving. It looked like it just didn't belong.

James sped up, sprinting to aid the man who had done so much for him and not asked for anything back. Amy and Rory followed, watching with great surprise as he yelled, throwing himself at the front door as though it was bolted shut, and then with even greater surprise when the door only budged slightly, moving backwards an inch and sending James careering to the floor. They ran to his side and helped him up.

"Are you okay?" Rory asked, heaving him to his feet. James winced but nodded slightly, rubbing his shoulder.

"What the hell was that!" Amy looked at him incredulously.

"We don't have time for that," she said, striding to the door, pressing her palms upon the faded red wood. "We have to get to The Doctor! How do we get this door open?" She slammed her hand against it, and it opened a little bit more, even more so than when James had thrown his entire body to the fragile piece of wood. Rory walked over to her.

"Wait a minute. What?" Rory hit the door himself, but it didn't move. He hit it again and again and again but it didn't move. "Argh we need to get to The Doctor!" he hit it again and again it moved, three inches backwards. "What?"

Amy smiled and James ran to join in. "Push, both of you push!" All three of them heaved against the door, but it was only when Amy started hissing through gritted teeth, "Let me see The Doctor!" Then the door budged, until all three of them were chanting and pleading and commanding that door to open until it swung on its hinges and they toppled inside.

Amy was the first to her feet, tripping and stumbling in her haste as she wrenched the kitchen door open and stopped. There he was, lying on his side as though he was sleeping, his eyes closed peacefully. Her raggedy doctor, somehow still as energetic even when he was so still.

Rory reached her, seeing The Doctor lying upon the floor he jerked backwards, holding Amy close to him. "It's alright Amy. It's alright." Amy didn't make a move, she didn't make a noise or take a breath. James stepped past and set The Doctor on his back, gently placing his hands on his chest.

Amy pushed away from Rory, defiance in her eyes. "He's not dead."

Rory looked sympathetically at her. "I know it's hard to accept Amy. But whatever it is... it got him." She shook her head.

"He can't be dead."

"Amy-"

"No he _can't _be!" She looked increduously at his peaceful body, unknowing to the fact that very soon it wouldn't be his at all. "We saw him, at Lake Silencio in Utah and that is when he dies! Remember what River said? The Doctor's death is a fixed point, it cannot be changed!"

Rory sighed. He looked at his wife, saw the determination in her eyes, the edge to her accent that usually meant trouble. She walked slowly over to The Doctor, gently removing his sonic screwdriver from his pocket. "I promise I'll return this to you when you're okay again." She kissed his forehead softly, almost cringing at how cold he felt beneath her lips. There were no heartbeats there. "I promise." She stood up and faced Rory. "And I'm going to prove he'll be alright. With me, Rory the Roman."

**A/N: How will she do that? I'll try and upload as soon as I can so you can find out. However it may take longer than the rest because now it is getting close to Half-term I'm being literally crushed by assignments and coursework and timed-essays :S Wish me luck and do excuse me if I take a while to upload again. Thanks again for reading and reviewing :D (Don't forget "The day I met The Doctor by AngelsOnTheMoon98! Great read :)) Thank You.**


	9. Boots, Coins and Broken Glasses

**A/N: Next Chapter! I won't say much, I know how you've been waiting for this so I'll allow you to read it. Please review! (Especially if there is something that needs improving :))**

Chime in the Night

Chapter Nine: Boots, Coins and Broken Glasses

Amy threw the screwdriver between her hands, trying to think like The Doctor. Easier said than done. How do you think like a nine-hundred year-old madman with a box, who is permenently thinking and noticing and who dresses like no-one else alive. Answer: you can't.

She'd been striding throughout the house for at least half an hour, Rory at her side, while James had lain The Doctor on the table after Amy had flatly refused for a coffin to be made. But if she couldn't _think_ like The Doctor, then what could she do? Start wearing bow-ties?

"Rory," she said, turning around to face him, a sudden idea popping into her head. "Think about it. What was The Doctor doing. He's always up to something even right before our eyes. What was he doing?"

Rory sighed, turning around as though hoping someone else would come to his aid. "Well he, I don't know he was wearing those glasses?" Amy glared at him, weilding the screwdriver in her hand.

"Come on Rory! We have to be serious here! He needs our help now come on! What was he doing?" He collapsed onto the floor, his head in his hands as he thought.

"He said he... deteced a signal. Up here. Try using the sonic." Amy did so, holding the button and aiming up and down the corridor. When she looked at the handle she sighed.

"It says there's something but I can figure out what, and lets be honest even if we could know what it was, would we really understand it?" Amy collapsed next to Rory, the sonic pressed against her head. "What else?"

There was silence, filled with buzzing as they racked their brians for any clue as to what he was doing. Then Amy remembered something that had made her laugh, despite her suspicions at the time. The Doctor with his head in a drawer. Maybe that was a good place to start. "I have an idea. Come on Rory."

With that she raced down the stairs and into the door just by the kitchen, almost tripping over the clutter as she ran to the victorian dresser, wrenching the bottom drawer open. "What?"

Inside, laying there as though brand new was a pair of kids, wellington boots. She picked them up, turning them left and right. They seemed familiar somehow. Rory steppted through the door and peeked inside as well. He gave a small mummer of surprise.

"What's this doing in here?" He picked up a round and flat disc. "This is an old coin. A _very_ old coin." He span it around in his hand. "Where have I seen this before?"

Amy wanted to throw the boots back into the drawer and slam it shut, but she found herself gently placing them back along with the coin and shutting the drawer slowly. "This is hopeless."

Then they heard a shout from upstairs and they dashed out of the room, up the stairs and into the only open door where James stood staring at an ornately drawn picture was of a man sitting behind a drum kit, a large and elequoent 'B' emblazoned on a screen above his head. James pointed a shaking finger at the picture. "It- that was blank before!"

Again Rory muttered "I've seen him before." Amy nodded in agreement, one hand crossed across her stomach and the other on her chin as she examined the picture. James laughed aloud, something which the other two really hadn't expected.

"What!" They cried together, both having jumped backwards at his bark-like laugh.

"You really don't know who that is?" They shook their heads incredulously, as though they really did't think they would need to. "He is one of the most famous drummers ever?" Still nothing from the pair of them. "Was in the Beatles?"

"Ringo!" Rory yelled, pointing at the picture. "That's Ringo Star!" James chuckled to himself. "The glasses Amy. Maybe we really need them."

Amy stood shocked for a moment before she pelted downstairs with Rory racing her to the bottom. "Hey!" James called from the top of the stairs, "What are you doing?"

Amy couldn't go near The Doctor again, leaving it up to Rory to slowly walk up to him and remove the glasses from his inside pocket. One side was cracked where The Doctor had landed on it, but the other was completely fine. He put them on and backed away from The Doctor slowly, causously.

"You know you look rediculous. Worse than The Doctor," Amy snorted from the doorway. Rory shushed her, staring intently at The Doctor lying peacefully upon the table. "What is _that_?"

Amy stormed over and whipped the glasses off of Rory's face. Before she put them on she looked at them gingerly. "I can't believe I'm doing this." She placed them upon her nose, blinked slightly, her mouth half-open and then wrenched them back off again. She took another look at them and then tried again. "This is weird."

When Amy put the glasses on, world seemed to change. The house was seemingly- waving. The walls rippled with a blueish colour that seemed to be in the air itself, she was able to move her hand through it, and see it almost cling to her exposed skin. But then she looked down, and saw the table. The table, but not the brilliant man who lay upon it. He was veiled by another rippling colour, but this one seemed to move slower than the blueish colour that hung in the air and it hung black, completely black, around him. It seemed to be converging in on itself, as though slowly being syphoned away by The Doctor.

Amy swallowed, readying herself before slowly walking forwards, her hand outstretched. "Amy what are you doing!" Amy glared at him.

"I just want to see Rory." She took a deep breath and pushed her hand upon the dark haze. It receeded, and continued to receed until it was lying thinly upon The Doctor's frame. You wouldn't have thought that there was anything between her hand and The Doctor's chest, but the black haze still lay between them.

She withdrew her hand and watched as the fog returned to its original shading, completely shrouding The Doctor. She clenched her fist, turning to Rory. "No-one keeps us from The Doctor." He nodded and they returned to the victorian dresser, retrieving the items from inside. Now they knew exactly what they were. What they had done with The Doctor.

Amy, the girl who had waited all night in those red boots, awaiting her Doctor's return. That sort of connection never dies. And Rory, the man who lived for twice as long as The Doctor all so that he could keep Amy alive and safe, and he did it knowing that he could completely trust The Doctor, even when wearing a fez. He picked his item up and looked at it from all angles. A Romanic coin.

"Rory look!" She passed the ludicrous glasses to Rory who found that these two things had an entirely different aura, a different coloured haze. "Think about it. Only one person besides us knows how important these are to us, and how is it that these exact items end up in here?"

Rory was smiling, even managing to look slightly Doctor-ish with those glasses. Only slightly though. "The Doctor's memories!" The smile faded, quickly. "What do we do?"

Amy took the glasses and called for James to come downstairs. He did quickly, and had rolled up the picture to bring it with him, that (taking a quick peek through the glasses) also had the same aura of the boots and coin. She lead them to the kitchen and ordered them to put the three items beside The Doctor, and telling Rory to hold the glasses a meter from them. Amy then aimed the sonic through the one unbroken piece of glass. She looked quickly at Rory and James. "Let's hope this works."

James nodded and Rory muttered, "Just point and think."

"Point and think." She looked through the glass, seeing the aura's of the tree items and pressed the button. Immediately something began to happen. They all began to hear a high pitched wailing, but they didn't shy away, forcing the process to continue. As a wind began to pick up again, slamming into the kitchen but not dettering them in the slightest. And it was then that a voice sounded within their heads.

"_**Don't you see? The harder you push them the harder they will try! Ha ha! My friends, those that travel with me and wait for me, that rely upon me and have died for me, I carry them all with me! And they will never stop fighting!"**_

"Doctor!" Amy cried, tears streaming down her face. "Doctor we're here!" But he didn't seem able to hear her, whether it was because of the now even louder and stronger gale that threatened to knock them off their feet.

"Hang in there Amy!" Rory reached for her hand and clenched it tight, the sounds of the sonic being almost completely drowned out now.

"_**You soaked this place, this house, with psychic energy for all these centuries! You drenched the entire place with it and it drank it all up. All I had to do was find the right place, and the right memories and I knew I could hide myself from you, protect myself from your influence. You tried to make me broken and alone, but you never believed in the strength of those that travel with me! You are as decrepid as the 'gods' that you worship!"**_

At this the wind seemed to gain an unnatural howling and raging that filled their ears and rattled them to the bone, but still the voice shouted triumphantly, ringing louder and stronger than anything else.

"_**You never believed that they would return, and you could never understand how much they believe in me, and how much I trust in them. You failed Epthatyle! And now I. Am."**_

"Back!"

**A/N: :) I hope that was good, no great :D Please let me know if there is anything you want to tell me :) Please review :) And I hope the hints and nudges throughout the book so far were enough to help explain this :D Next chapter will take a while, I am now swamped in work. Literally, I'm currently writing underneath 5 leagues of notes :S I really hope you liked it and I will try and get the next chapter up soon :) Thank you for reading :D**

**P.S: Please review :) I would really like to know about this chapter :) Thanks again :D**


	10. Those That Worship

**A/N: This is the final chapter of this story. I hope you've liked it and I really hope you'll review. Thank you for journeying with me :D I hope I made it brilliant :)**

Chime in the Night

Chapter Ten: Those That Worship

The Doctor sat bolt upright, beaming around him at James, Rory and Amy. Amy smiled through her tears and Rory squeezed her hand tightly. James beamed back, and watched as The Doctor sprang from the table, removing the screwdriver from Amy's grasp with a whispered "Thank You." He turned around and stared straight at the spot just beside the back door. "Let's see your prison!"

He pointed the sonic at the same spot and pressed it. Slowly but surely, like water trickling through the smallest of cracks, something began to swim into view. It was small and hanging from the ceiling. Made of stone, it was ornately carved into unrecognizable shapes and symbols and from this art work, hung twelve identical thin metal pipes. Each was hung by a slightly longer piece of string than the last, causing it to semmingly spiral towards the floor. The Doctor looked impressed.

"A cascading dodecagonic cell. Oh that's good. That's _very_ good!" James wasn't so impressed.

"Wind chimes?" The Doctor laughed. It was cold and harsh, an unnatural sound.

"Oh far better than that. It's a prison cell. A cell caught in infinity, trapped forever! Just like it should be!" All of a sudden, everyone in the kitchen felt something, a strange feeling building within them and the thing, the Epthatyle, spoke like the Doctor just had.

"_**Is that how you would have it Doctor? You, the great Doctor, the Devil Incarnate!"**_

The Doctor stared at the prison cell, hatred in his eyes. Amy stepped beside him. "What is it Doctor. What does it mean?"

"_**You mean he's never told you? Never told you how he saw the Universe burn?"**_

"Doctor what does it mean?"

The Doctor suddenly seemed frustrated, aggrivated. He gripped his hair and cried out. "Argh it means the Time-War! The war between my people and the Darleks." Amy grabbed hold of The Doctor's arm.

"The Darleks aren't here are they!" The Doctor laughed unnaturally again.

"No. This is something much worse, for me that is." Rory and James looked on in astounded silence. The Doctor turned to explain it to them. "The Darleks are the scourge of the Universe-"

"_**They are the Chosen, the rightful owner's of this and all Universes!"**_

"They are Death!" The Doctor continued calmly, but they could hear his voice shaking. "Everything that is not Darlek should be killed, that is what they believe, what they were created for. They fought our people, the Time-lords, for creation itself. But there were those who stood in the middle, caught right in-between. The Autons back in 2005 were one, the Epthatyles are another, far more powerful one."

"_**And we chose to fight for our Gods. When they decended upon our world we knew they asked our assistance. The Gods chose us and we had to answer-"**_

"And tell me what your Gods did when they discovered your powers?" The Doctor cried, cutting over its voice with his own. "What did they do when they realized just how powerful you were?" The Doctor turned to whisper to his companions. "The Epthatyle are powerful psychic creatures, even more so than my species. They could pull a Time-Lord out of his body and replace his conciousness with their own. The ultimate weapon against us." Again he span around and stared at the cage, his voice rising. "Come on Epthatyle! Show yourself! You lost your bodies when the Darleks destroyed you didn't you? They turned on you when they realized how dangerous you were, so you used your phychic abilities to transfer into indestructable containers."

Rory stepped forwards, his eye brow raised. "But didn't you say this was a prison? Why trap yourself inside a prison for all eternity?"

"_**Your Doctor and his race imprisoned us! They tricked us into believing they meant well by us and then imprisoned us forever!"**_

"Oh don't give me that!" he replied, laughing as he twisted around and headed for the door, before spinning around and re-advancing on the cage, pointing menacingly at it. "It was war! A war that you chose to be a part of. We offered you asylum and you took advantage. You got what you deserved." The Doctor breathed deeply, looking at the floor.

While he was standing there, the others looking at him, and him gazing lost in the recesses of his memory, a figure slowly appeared before them. Softly someone began to blur into view. She was in her twenties, with black hair, pale skin with no expression at all. She looked remarkably familiar.

James convulsed. "Laura! You filthy-"He began to advance on the cell but The Doctor shouted for him to stop.

"James don't! Rory stop him!" Rory grabbed James and tried to hold him back but James kept one struggling. After a moment he collapsed to the floor, pounding the tiles helplessly. The Doctor became furious, pointing his sonic at the cage and activating it. The room was filled with a disembodied screaming, but the image of Laura screamed along with it. "Do _not_ anger me!" He shouted, continuing to hold the button down. "I was the one who destroyed the Darleks, your Gods! It was me who made two of the most powerful races die! I saw them all burn! Me! Do not push me Epthatyle!"

"Doctor stop it!"It was Amy, at his shoulder, her hand attempting to push his down. Her voice lowered to a soft whisper. "Stop." The Doctor looked at her and saw the worry etched into her eyes, felt the anger evaporate. He lowered the screwdriver.

He looked right at the image of Laura, his eyes still blazing with hatred. "How did you escape? How did you survive?"

"_**I escaped on the back of your kindness Doctor! I used your friends and ordered them to bring me here, from over the Horizons of the Universe. And then I waited. I waited for the destroyer of all Darleks! The Reaper of Gods and here you stand!"**_ The Doctor stood in silence, his eyes on the tiles beneath his feet as though worried they may disappear. His grip on the screwdriver was limp, his hand just hung there as the image of Laura continued to speak._** "The man who destroys, who runs and never stops. You killed us all Doctor. And now I will return the favour!"**_

"Now, I do have a problem with that." The Doctor hadn't moved his gaze, but he was smiling, the corners of his lips rising and curling. "Haven't you noticed? Your power seems to be verging on the ineffective wouldn't you say?" Silence. The Doctor looked up, across the table at the Laura that stood there, pointing at her nochalantly with the screwdriver. "Of all the images, you had to choose that one didn't you?"

"_**What do you mean Doctor? What is this?"**_

The Doctor stepped forwards, his voice soft and caring. He looked right at the Laura projection. "Are you okay?"

It blinked, as though confused for a second and then it turned to face The Doctor.

"Yes Doctor. I'm okay." James stood bolt upright, and gazed with a tear streaked face at his wife. "It's alright James," she said, laughing gently. "It'll all be alright."

"_**What is going on!"**_

"You see Epthatyle, I knew what you were doing from the moment I stepped in this house! I also knew that you'd been here for centuries, I should know I went and saw your arrival here! But not only did I create places for my conciousness to escape from your influence-"

"He also allowed a part of him to be taken, to be locked in your cell," Laura said, grinning at the Time-Lord. "He had to let you think you'd taken him and then the part you stole explained it all to me, everything. And most importantly he told me how to fight you! He knew you wouldn't be able to resist taking his body, and equally he knew you would use me as your image to torture a reaction out of my husband. So while you were attempting to take The Doctor I readied myself and now I'm the one in control!"

"_**This can't be!"**_

"Oh-ho yes it can!" The Doctor cried, flipping the screwdriver into the air and catching it deftly in his other hand. "You under-estimated their species, under-estimated their strength! You never thought to look inside at the danger you presented yourself with and now look at you! Falling the same way your master's did!"

"_**Doctor you cannot do this! You know of what I speak! The legends of that place! You know that this is not the end!"**_

"Yes it is," he replied coldly. "The Time-War has been raging for too long. It is about time that it ended. Everything has its time and everything dies." He turned to Laura, his eyes cool. "Do it." She nodded, closing her eyes and at the same moment The Doctor raised his sonic. "Now!"

The room instantly filled with agonized cries, the projection of Laura winced but she didn't falter clenching her fists tightly at her side. Slowly the screams bagan to fade, but instead of screams it changed to the repetion of one thing, one phrase over and over. _**"Over the Horizon, where Dark things Lie, Over the Horizon The Doctor must Fly. Over the Horizon, where Dark things Lie, Over the Horizon The Doctor must Fly!"**_

Then the prison cell cracked, the strips of metal clinking to the floor and the voice died. "Laura!" James cried, looking at his wife. She just smiled gently at him.

"My JJ." And then, she vanished.

"Laura!" He cried again, running to The Doctor and grabbing by the shoulders he span him around, his expression deadly. "Where's Laura?" The Doctor said nothing. "Where is she?" Then from the door they heard a sound, a slight noise of pain. Everybody turned to see the source of the noise.

"Hello. Sorry I'm late for the party." There, leaning against the door frame for support, was Laura James, smiling, exaughsted but most importantly, _alive!_ James raced to Laura's side, embracing her as she wrapped her arms around him.

"Oh God I thought I'd lost you," he whispered into her ear, fresh tears threatening to escape as he clenched his wife tight. "I'll never leave you again, not even for a second." Laura laughed, gripping him just as tightly.

"Oh James. I'm so glad you're okay." She looked over James shoulder at The Doctor, noticing Amy and Rory celebrating just out of the corner of her eye. "Is it gone now?" she asked, casting a glimpse at the fractured stone that hung limp from the ceiling.

The Doctor smiled, replacing the sonic in his pocket. "It's gone," he assured them, as James turned around to face him, gripping Laura's hand tightly. "With no-where to go it just faded away." Amy looked puzzled.

"But couldn't it just do what you did? Hide in the walls or something?" Everyone laughed, and The Doctor couldn't help himself smiling.

"No it can't. Laura was able to take control of its psychic abilites from within. It wasn't even able to do be able to talk towards the end. No. That's that last we'll be seeing of it." He was smiling still, but his voice sounded wrong. It didn't match his expression at all. "Do you remember James?"

Rory looked from James to The Doctor. "What do you mean? Has he forgotten something?"

"Not willingly. Do you remember James?" James nodded.

"This isn't our house," he said, gesturing around the room before allowing his hand to fall back to his side. "This isn't anyone's house. But we did come down here for a funeral, Laura's grandfather's. Afterwards Laura needed a bit of air so we walked and found... this place." James looked down awkwardly, and Rory and Amy exchanged blushing looks. The Doctor however was completely unawares.

"Well I think it's time we got you home!" He said enthusiastically, clapping the two of them on the shoulder. "Enough being lost and all that, you know you two have really been here for two weeks? I went to check the missing persons record while I was out and there you were. All's well that ends well!" He swept up the glasses off of the now empty table and placed them in his pocket. Amy breathed a sigh of relief the he hadn't looked at them first.

Amy and Rory stepped back into the TARDIS smiling, Amy leading Rory as they moved to the console and leant against the railings. The Doctor soon stepped in, looking forlorn. Then, when he pulled his other hand into the TARDIS they saw why. He was holding in his palm, as though it was very dear to him, a broken pair of 80's glasses. He looked up at the two of them.

"You know I _really_ liked these."

Amy giggled. "Well why did you fall on them then?" The Doctor grimaced. "What were they for anyway?"

The Doctor grinned, placing them back in his pocket and leaping up to the console next to them. "Well If you're going to scan for psychic abilites, along with other things, why not do it looking cool?" Amy and Rory smiled.

"I think we'll have to work on that."

"Oi!"

"Do you think they'll be alright?" Rory asked, gazing through the doors to where they had just left the couple, just a street away from their real house and the family awaiting them. The Doctor smiled.

"A couple like them? I think they'll be brilliant." The Doctor pushed a few levers and the TARDIS was set into motion, sailing through time and space. Just the way it should be.

One thing I don't understand Doctor.

_Yes Alex?_

Why wait until night fall to take you?

_They wait for you to sleep, when your defences are weaker, but it wasn't going to wait around for me to fall asleep, it was just a lucky tradition of their kind._

"Well are you any closer to finding out about the thing you found?" I asked, disconnecting from the link. The Doctor did too but not for long.

"Where are you going Alex? We're not finished yet!" Oh. I reconnected myself and watched the three of them talking. Then all hell broke loose.

Amy and Rory were thrown off their feet, heads cracking agianst the floor, The Doctor only managing to keep his balance because he'd seen the warning and had time to brace himself. Now he was flicking and pulling every lever he could reach.

"What was _that!_" Amy cried from the floor, pulling herself to her feet and hanging on for dear life.

"Something has detected us in flight and is trying to merge with our materialisation buffer!"

"What?"

"There is something trying to get on board now could you shut up Pond I'm trying to engage a thing!" Amy fell silent and watched the crazy man spin around the console, clinging onto the bars and then launching himself the the right botton and then back again. "I don't understand," he muttered to himself, "no matter what I do this thing reacts, as though the systems are compatable."

And then the shaking stopped abruptly and they were all thrown to the floor. The Doctor was back on his feet in a flash and staring at the doors. First a click, and then a louder one as the doors were unlocked and opened from the outside. A shillouette appeared in the doorway, standing tall and proud. The Doctor raised his sonic, his voice coming out low and strong. "Get off my TARDIS."

There was a loud laugh, that seemed like a rumble of thunder, before a second voice spoke, "Your TARDIS? Don't make me laugh." The Doctor's stance faltered, and his expression changed to one of complete shock.

"No. That's impossible. For?"

The man stepped forwards, smiling broadly. He was as tall as The Doctor and was wearing a black jacket, a blue shirt beneath that and brown trousers that fell upon black trainers. Between his hands he was throwing a small metal ring, with blue indentations around its surface.

"Hello Doctor."

**A/N: What do you think? Please let me know! :D And do not worry... all will be revealed in the next installment "The Endless War". That may take awhile, but please I would love to know what I'm doing right or wrong so that the next one can be even better :D Or just knowing what you really really like would work too :D Thank you to everyone who's been following this story and I hope the ending is in true Doctor Who style :) Thanks again :D  
>Poli bear :)<strong>


End file.
